Potential City Ballot Measures

On Tuesday, Aug. 3, the City Council will decide on five possible ballot measures that would go before San Jose voters in November. So far, the Council has budgeted money to place two items on the ballot; therefore the council must choose two of the five. However a group known as Baseball San Jose has offered to pay for the cost of putting the Downtown Baseball Stadium question on the ballot, so three ballot measure may go before voters.

Below is each proposal in alphabetical order:

Baseball Stadium
(This will be considered at the Rules Committee on Wednesday, July 28 at 2pm. The Rules Committee would need to support placing this item on the Tuesday, Aug. 3 City Council agenda.)

Ballot Language:
Shall the San Jose Downtown Ballpark and Jobs Measure be approved to authorize, but not require, the use of Redevelopment Agency funds, with no new taxes, to acquire and clear a site for a baseball stadium, fund related off-site improvements, and lease the site for a professional baseball team where the team would pay all on-site construction costs, operation and maintenance costs, generating new tax revenues for City operations?
Binding Arbitration
(This will be considered at the Rules Committee on Wednesday, July 28 at 2pm. The Rules Committee would need to support placing this item on the Tuesday, Aug. 3 City Council agenda.)

Ballot Language:
To provide fiscal stability, control costs, and help maintain the level of services being provided to residents, shall the Charter be amended to require outside arbitrators to base awards to City employees primarily on the City’s ability to pay and to prohibit creation of unfunded liabilities, increasing police and firefighters’ compensation more than the.rate granted to other bargaining units or more than the rate of increase in General Fund
revenues, and granting retroactive benefits?
Tax Medical Cannabis
(Already on the Tuesday, Aug. 3 City Council Agenda.)

Ballot Language:
In order to provide funding for essential City services such as police, fire, emergency response,street maintenance, pothole repair, parks, libraries and youth and senior programs, shall an ordinance be adopted to impose a tax at the rate of 10% of gross receipts on marijuana businesses in San Jose, subject to existing independent financial audits, with all revenue controlled by the city.
Pension Reformhttp://www.sanjoseca.gov/district6/documents/7-19-2010PensionReformVoterApprovalMemo.pdf

(This will be considered at the Rules Committee on Wednesday, July 28 at 2pm. The Rules Committee would need to support placing this item on the Tuesday, Aug. 3 City Council agenda.)

My proposal is to change the city charter language so the city can offer new employees some degree of lower pension the taxpayer can afford. Current employees and retirees will continue under the current pension system and will not be affected in anyway. Pension reform includes public safety, non-public safety, city management, RDA and Councilmembers. Official ballot language will be provided by the city attorney.
Sales Tax
(Already on the Tuesday, August 3rd City Council Agenda)

Ballot Language:
In order to provide funding for essential City services such as police, fire, emergency response, street maintenance, pothole repair, parks, libraries, and youth and senior programs, shall an ordinance be adopted to enact a one-quarter percent tax on retail transactions in San Jose, subject to existing independent financial audits, with all revenue controlled by the City?
Rules committee members are:

I think it is important that major issues should go before voters to validate Council direction or let the Council know something different.

In addition to the city of San Jose proposed ballot measures, there will be at least two other countywide ballot measures that raise approximately $14 million each. One is from VTA for $10 per vehicle annual fee for road repair. The other is a $29 parcel tax per property by the County of Santa Clara to fund children’s health insurance. Are these items what you would choose to fund with new tax revenue?

Since the City will most likely choose two of the proposed ballot measures (baseball proposal excluded) due to budgetary constraints, which do you believe are most important to be placed on the ballot if any? For me, I believe the most important two are Pension Reform and Taxing Medical Cannabis.